When the prince meets the pauper
by pinkink10
Summary: Ally Dawson, just another girl from Miami. After literally crashing into the life of rich Austin Moon after being invited to the estate by his sister she gets to know the charming prince. Will she dismiss him as just another rich snob or will she find herself falling for someone more sincere than she thought and way out of her league? Can a prince really fall in love with a pauper?
1. Chapter 1

Eddies of snow flurried to the ground as Ally Dawson trudged towards Wentworth castle. The grand grey bricked castle stood tall and proud amidst the masses of snow that had settled upon the ground. Hurriedly she rubbed her hands together in order to keep warm before knocking loudly upon the large oak door. With a large groan the door shifted as waves of heat encapsulated the brunette.

" Dez Worthy the butler. And who might you be?" A red headed boy spoke as he eyed the disheveled girl before him.

" Ally Dawson." she smiled brightly before holding out a gloved hand. The butler shook it firmly before inviting her inside. " I'm here visiting as Cassidy Moon's hired interior designer, guest and friend." she spoke as the red head took her coat and helped to drag her bags into the large castle.

" Ally Dawson!" A high pitched voice sounded from the grand staircase at the end of the majestic hallway. An excited blonde bounded down the stairs and straight into Ally's open arms. " I can't believe you really came." she smiled before dusting snowflakes out of her friends hair.

" I can't believe I'm here either." Ally replied under her breath as Cassidy squealed excitedly. Spending her Christmas holidays at her rich friends castle amongst snobbish upperclassmen was the last thing she wanted to do. In fact she found the whole idea unbelievably tiresome but Cassidy was a good friend and had asked her to organise the Christmas decorations for her family's annual ball. In the position that Ally was in she could not afford to turn down a single job.

" So we have about two weeks until the ball so I suggest you start getting a feel for the place and start designing tomorrow." Cassidy smiled as she hurried Ally up the large staircase. " I had to beg my father to hire you so please make it count Alls. He wanted to hire a professional from Italy! Can you believe it?" she practically shrieked. " I wouldn't let him, I couldn't! My friend needed work and I was hell bent on helping her." Cassidy smiled.

" Thanks Cass." Ally said as she eyed the large place. The architecture was amazing with high ceilings and carvings on practically every wall. Ideas flooded to her as she examined every nook and cranny on their way towards her room.

" So I guess this is your room." Cassidy smiled before tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Trish should already be in there."

" Um, Trish?" The brunette questioned.

" Oh yeah, she is your personal maid."

" I have a personal maid!" Ally gawked as Cassidy grinned.

" You may hate snobby rich people but I think you will enjoy your stay here." Cassidy said as Ally's brow furrowed.

" I never said I hated snobby -" she began but was stopped mid sentence by the blonde's skeptical, pert eyebrow. Slowly she swallowed the dry lump that had formed in her throat. "You know that I at least don't think of you that way." she said as Cassidy smiled.

" I know, now go on in and meet Trish. I have a feeling you two will get along." she said before moving towards the stairs. " Don't forget that dinner is in the grand hall at seven! Father hates it when guests are late so please, please, please be prompt!" Cassidy yelled over her shoulder before disappearing out of sight. Ally sighed dramatically before pushing open the door to her room. The room was gigantic with beautiful canvas paintings hanging on the walls and a large king sized poster bed with velvet sheets and trimming. Hurriedly she brought her bags into the room and explored the exquisite bedroom. The windows were large with heavy drapery and the rugs were soft to touch. Not a single speck of dust lay anywhere and everything was perfectly in place.

" Hey girl!" A loud voice startled her out of her thoughts.

" Oh, you must be Trish!" Ally smiled as she eyed the Latina girl sprawled out on one of the sofas with several magazines at hand.

" And you must be the new girl, Ally." she said as she shook the brunettes hand. " Is Wentworth castle all you thought it would be?"

" It's completely blown me away."

" Yeah It's pretty big. Too much space to clean and certainly too large a house for the pompously rich family that live here." Trish said as Ally's jaw dropped. She could not believe that Trish was so quick to put down her employers but she couldn't help smiling at the fact that she was not afraid to speak her mind.

" Cassidy was right! We are so going to get along!" Ally squealed as Trish grinned.

* * *

Ally stood by her large bedroom window that lead to the balcony. The acres of land that stretched out before the castle were blanketed in layers of fluffy white snow. A large black car pulled up to the entrance of the castle leaving tracks in it's wake. She could just about see Dez's red hair bobbing as he raced towards the car and began helping a tall blond out. His hair fell into his soft brown eyes and was speckled with small snowflakes that had decided to take residence amidst his shiny locks.

" Hey Trish, whose that?" Ally called to the Latina as she stared down at the young man. Instantly Trish dropped her duster and raced towards the window.

" Oh that's Austin Moon, Cassidy's brother and heir to this place." Trish said as Ally smiled. " He's cute huh?" Trish teased before giving Ally a light nudge. "He'll be joining you at dinner." The Latina sung as on cue Austin looked up at the window. His gaze captured Ally's briefly before she ducked away from the window in embarrassment and spun around.

" Oh snap! Dinner! What time is it?" Ally shouted as Trish fumbled with her watch.

" 6:50."

" Dinner is at 7:00 and I'm not even changed!" The brunette paled as Trish started searching through the clothes in her suitcase.

" This is what you've packed!? Your staying with one of the richest families in the country and you packed Christmas themed jumpers and floral print day dresses? Where are your evening gowns and jewellery!?" Trish shrieked as Ally mentally face palmed. Suddenly the Latina pulled out a silk white dress. " Here, this is perfect!" she said as Ally shook her head in dismay.

" I was planning on wearing that to the ball." She said as Trish frowned.

" You were going to wear this to the ball? This!? This!?" she yelled before sighing " Floral print day dress it is." she said before chucking a white dress adorned with red flowers at Ally. After she slipped the dress on she began running a brush through the tangled mess she called hair. " The grand hall is down the stairs and to the left. Once you get to the end of that hall turn right and then go left after you pass two rooms. That will take you down another hallway and once you reach the end you turn right. Got it?" Trish questioned as she practically pushed Ally out the bedroom door.

" Sure." she choked nervously before racing down the large stairs. "Why are there so many steps?" she muttered to herself as she reached the bottom, her legs were burning and she was panting furiously. Quickly she took a left, sliding across the perfectly waxed floor before taking a dive head first towards the ground. Her arms and legs flailed as her head ached. Slowly she closed her eyes before groaning in frustration at her inability to stay on two feet for very long.

" Is there any particular reason as to why you are sprawled out upon the hall floor?" A voice sounded from above her. Instantly her eyes sprung open to reveal Austin Moon. His eyes were sparkling with laughter.

" Oh crap." she hissed under her breath as she stared at the blond. An amused smirk played at his lips as he stared at the brunette. " So are you going to stand there laughing at me or are you going to help me up?" she quipped as the smirk was ripped right off of his face. He was shocked that she was speaking to him in such a tone. I mean come on, he was Austin Moon for goodness sake. Quickly he recovered himself and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

" Well I was hoping to laugh a little bit longer but seeing as you insist on needing my help." he said before offering his hand. " I wouldn't want to disappoint." he smirked in a condescending tone. Ally narrowed her eyes before batting his hand away and standing up on her own merit. Who does he think he is anyways? His jaw dropped as he examined the feisty brunette who was already pushing passed him.

" You should probably close that big mouth of yours. Your going to end up catching flies." she smirked as she walked away.

" I didn't even catch your name!"

" It's Ally, Ally Dawson." she smiled before disappearing from sight. Well game on Ally Dawson he thought before heading towards the grand hall for dinner. The grand hall which was in the opposite direction to the direction which Ally was heading. He smiled to himself at the thought and continued walking.

* * *

It was 7:10 and Ally had been wandering around the castle for ages trying to find the grand hall. Her encounter with Austin had left her in a bad mood and wandering around aimlessly for 10 minutes had done nothing to help. After what seemed like forever she decided on trying one last door. With more force than necessary she pushed against the solid oak doors that were in front of her. The doors flew open, knocking into a waiter and making him throw a whole bowl of salad upon the freshly cleaned floor. All eyes were upon Ally who stood in the doorway in utter shock. As part of etiquette they all rose from their seats and waited for her to be announced.

" I guess I've got the right room then." she said in a poor attempt to break the silence.

" Everyone please welcome in Miss Allyson Dawson, interior designer for the Christmas ball and Miss Moon's friend." Dez announced nervously as he gestured towards the brunette. The brunette who at this point was on her hands and knees hurriedly trying to scrape salads leaves back into a bowl along with a very angry waiter. Quickly she stood up and began to make her way towards the large table filled with guests and prestigious members of society. Ally had already made a fool of herself in front of them all. Great. Scanning the table she realised that the only seat left was in between a lady with a bright red feather boa and Austin. Oh joy she thought as everyone began sitting down and after several moments began eating again. The room was buzzing with noise as guests chattered away to one and other.

" You are an unbelievable ass!" She snapped at Austin before pulling a napkin over her lap.

" What did I do this time?" he smirked as he stared at the flustered girl.

" You knew that I was going in the wrong direction earlier and you didn't even correct me! I was wandering around aimlessly for 10 minutes trying to find this room."

" Yeah, before bursting in here and knocking a waiter to the floor." he laughed nearly in hysterics as she scowled. " You should have seen the look on my father's face. He hates tardiness."

" So I've been told." she huffed as a dish containing goodness knows what was placed in front of her.

" So, how long are you staying for?" Austin asked.

" Why? Already trying to get rid of me?" she joked as he gave her a small quirky smile making her heart briefly stop.

"What's this?" she asked as she took a mouthful of the food that was in front of her.

" Caviar, otherwise known as salt cured fish eggs." Austin said as to his surprise she spat the contents back onto her plate in shock. One lone egg bounced off of her plate and rolled across the table into one of the duchesses laps who instantly began screeching and flapping. The room lapsed into silence once again.

" Is there a problem Allyson? Is the food not to your liking?" A voice boomed from the head of the table as she shrunk back into her seat.

" That's my father." Austin whispered gravely.

" That's Mr Moon, the owner of the estate?" she choked as she took a peak at the angry looking man. Wrinkles lined his face and he was certainly balding.

" The food is delightful sir, it's just that I have never tasted caviar before and I was surprised to find that it was, well um, fish eggs." she stuttered as everyone began to mutter.

" What person has never eaten caviar before?" A lady questioned from across the room, spurring questions to come from every direction and making Ally feel completely overwhelmed.

" Honestly, they do just let anyone in these days don't they."

" What is she? A charity case?"

" Didn't you hear, she is the interior designer."

" Can't be very good if I have never heard her name before." Another women commented as Austin laughed yet again.

" Would you shut up?" Ally hissed at him as he laughed even harder.

" I can't help it." he spluttered as Ally scowled.

" I hate people like you." she said venomously as he abruptly stopped laughing. The light, vibrant attitude that surrounded him dissipated as he gave her a cold, hard look.

" You don't even know me."

" I don't need to. People like you are all the same." she said. " You think that just because you have money you can look down on the rest of us." she was just about sick and tired of every dirty look and snide comment all of these rich people kept giving her.

" I don't look down on you Ally." he whispered as an unreadable expression flickered across his face.

" Oh really?" she questioned harshly.

" I don't." he snapped before throwing his napkin on the table and storming out of the room. Silence filled the air as everyone stared at Ally, wandering what the incompetent brunette had done to ruin the evening this time.

* * *

Morning snuck upon Ally Dawson almost too soon. Trumpets sounded as the castle came to life and Ally forced herself to roll out of bed. Trish had already opened the curtains and begun setting out her clothes as Ally pushed her way towards the large window. Sun streamed into the room and reflected off the soft white snow down below. It sparkled and shined brightly under the morning light. Several men in red riding costumes came out with horses at their sides.

" Hey Trish, what is going on outside?" Ally asked as she gazed out the window. A certain blond with a jet black horse catching her by surprise.

" Oh, Master Moon organised a hunt for today seeing as he is back in the castle."

" A hunt?"

" Yeah, it's a tradition." she smiled before choosing a pale blue dress for Ally. " Come on, I have your dress ready." she grinned as Ally teared her gaze away from the blond boy who was tending carefully to his horse down below. Several moments later and she was hurriedly running down the large staircase, cursing at each step as her legs burned and she had run out of breath again. Turning the corner she slipped on the waxed floor yet again and slid down the hallway on her rear end. With a loud groan she lay on the floor stubbornly and seriously considered not moving. Why does this keep happening to her and why was the floor so damned slippery?

" Do you need some help there?" A boy with chestnut brown hair and bright green eyes stood above her with his hand stretched out. Quickly she grabbed hold as he pulled her to her feet.

" I really need to stop meeting people this way." she blushed as he smiled.

" I would have stepped in sooner but I wasn't expecting you to slide down the whole hallway on your um -" he trailed off as she blushed even further.

" Rear end?"

" Yes, that." he laughed. " Elliot Van Dort of the Winthrop estate." he smiled and held out his hand.

" Ally Dawson of no estate." she said as Austin appeared at the doorway and cleared his throat. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides as he glared at Elliot who was spending time with Ally.

" Austin." Elliot growled.

" Elliot." he snapped before his eyes settled upon Ally. He was still unbelievably mad at her but something about her made his throat run dry. She looked beautiful in her pale blue dress with her long brown hair flowing in curls down her back. She was perfect. "Cassidy wants to know if you will join us for the hunt?" he asked softly.

" I'm sorry, I don't believe in hunting innocent foxes." she said more harshly than intended. She internally face palmed as he shook his head in disappointment, saddened that she was always so quick to judge him.

" Neither do I, we are hunting a man carrying a fake scent. It's known as a drag hunt." he corrected her with that same unreadable expression from last night.

" I didn't mean to-"

" You know what, just forget it. Cassidy is waiting outside, you can come if you want." he snapped before spinning on his heels and disappearing out the door.

" I really think you ought to come." Elliot smiled excitedly as he escorted her out the main door and into the snow. For once there was a girl that Austin Moon had not managed to wrap around his little finger, Elliot smiled broadly at the thought.

" I haven't been riding in years." Ally said nervously.

" It really is easy." he replied encouragingly as Cassidy came racing up in her red hunting costume.

" Here!" she smiled as she dumped a costume in Ally's hands. " I knew you would come!" she squealed before dragging her away from Elliot.

" It really was nice to meet you Ally Dawson." he shouted after her but his words fell upon deaf ears because a certain blond had captured her eye yet again. A certain blond with a brunette much like herself wrapped around his waist. For some odd reason she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene that was unfolding before her.

" Cassidy, who is that?" she asked quietly as Austin whispered something in the girls ear, making her laugh.

" Oh, that's Arabella Van Dort. A real gold digging brat if you ask me." she replied as Ally watched Austin laugh happily as he hugged the beautiful girl. His eyes flickered up briefly to meet her gaze but just as soon as he had encapsulated her with his eyes, he was swiftly looking away.

" Is it really necessary for me to do this?" Ally questioned dramatically as Cassidy strapped a helmet to her head. " After all, I am just the interior designer for the ball."

" No you are not! You are also here as my friend remember?" The perky blonde said.

" Don't you think dinner last night was disastrous enough? Now your going to make me ride a horse, doesn't that just spell disaster! I can't even keep upright for very long in your overly waxed hallways."

" Ally come on? Can you at least try and have some fun whilst your here? Granted, last night wasn't great but that doesn't mean you need to give up." she said as Ally sighed and rolled her eyes.

" Last night wasn't great? That's an understatement! Last night was absolutely tragic, I interrupted dinner three times!"

" I thought that I was the only drama queen out of the pair of us?" she said as she pulled up a dappled grey horse. " This is Baxter and he is a real sweetheart. He's mine but I'm letting you borrow him just for today."

" How generous of you." she replied dryly.

" Ally!" Cassidy smacked the brunette on the arm. " You are going to have fun." she said before helping the unsteady brunette mount the horse before leaping onto her own one.

" What do you even do for a drag hunt?" Ally asked.

" As soon as the gun goes off we take off." she said as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

" Easy for you to say." Ally muttered under her breath. Everyone lined their horses up at the top of the snowy hill. The gunshot sounded as millions of horses began racing down the slope, leaving prints in the snow. " Come on Baxter let's move." Ally said as she tugged at the reins of her horse but Baxter wouldn't budge. " Come on Baxter, please? Don't you think I've already embarrassed myself enough!" she said as she looked out upon the field. Everyone had already made it down the slope and they were now heading into the woods.

" Baxter!" she shouted. Suddenly the horse began careening at full speed own the hill, the wind lashed Ally's face leaving a sharp chill tingling down her spine. All the surroundings had melted into a blur as they raced forward.

" Holy cow!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. " Slow down!" The horse gained speed before bucking violently. Ally flew off the horse and began rolling down the hill at full speed before crashing into the base of a tree. A few lone leaves that still clung to the bare tree rained down upon her as her helmet snapped off and began rolling elsewhere. Her head hurt like hell and she felt dizzyingly sick. Encased in snow and freezing her ass off her teeth chattered as black spots began to swim in front of her. A small groan escaped her lips as Austin's face appeared before her.

" Ally." he said softly.

" Yeah." she choked.

" You really are prone to blunders."

" Tell me something I don't know." She mumbled as he laughed. Slowly he slipped his fingers around her waist and lifted her up bridal style. She was grateful for the warmth that his body provided. Slowly her head managed to find a spot upon his taut shoulder as he began to climb back up the slippery hill. The black spots began to grow until they engulfed her vision. The brunette was out cold.

**Thank you for reading! I am still continuing with my other stories but I was suddenly inspired by this story and had to write it down. If you like the idea then please review and tell me what you think and then I will continue with the story as this was just a tester to see if you guys like it.**

**I would also like to know what you think of Austin and Ally's relationship so far, Arabella and Elliot Van Dort and also the idea of the story.**

**Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark when Ally finally managed to draw herself out of sleep and dinner was drawing near. Most of the guests were now milling around the estate with a fresh glass of wine for the evening. Slowly she pulled back the sheets of her bed and moved towards the door, each and every bone creaking and aching as she moved. It took her ages just to get down the stairs, every single person she passed was staring at her as if she had grown another head. Probably because of what had happened during the drag hunt earlier that morning. The winter ball was in two weeks and she had managed to waste a day of precious preparation time.

"Miss Dawson?" A soft voice called out to her.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I'm Tilly and I was advised that you were looking for Christmas decorations." A petite girl with light blonde hair in what seemed like a maids uniform said.

"Oh yes, have they been found?"

"Yes, Mr Moon spent the whole morning looking for them. I was told to tell you that you could start with the decorations as soon as you were awake."

"Mr Moon spent the whole morning looking for them?" she questioned before biting her lip in thought and smiling to herself.

"Oh yes!" Tilly giggled before smiling broadly. "He is such a gentleman." she swooned before hurriedly disappearing from sight. Ally shook her head light heartedly before carefully moving across the waxed floor in an attempt not to fall over again. She headed towards the lounge and study where she was supposed to carry out measurements of the windows for the Christmas garlands and wreaths. The room was exquisite, adorned with a high chandelier, a warm fireplace with elegant carvings and the most beautiful thing of all. A large, black, grand piano. Her heart stopped as she gazed at the magnificent instrument at the centre of the room. Before she knew what she was doing she was lifting up the heavy lid and removing the protective red cloth that was placed upon the keys. Slowly she placed her fingers upon the shiny white keys with childlike delight written all over her face. Never in her life had she seen a piano as grand as this one. Without a second thought her fingers began moving and she found herself playing Chopin's Raindrop Prelude. The beautiful song lifted from the piano and reverberated around the room. The lilting song sweeping throughout the halls of the estate and echoing within the high ceilings. It brushed away the silence that had encased the room as all Ally's pent up embarrassment from the day flooded away. She closed her eyes and drifted away with the song until it finally came to a close. Instantly her fingers shifted as if ready to play another tune but her breath stopped short, hitching in her throat as she saw Austin's reflection in the shiny surface of the piano. Quickly her head snapped around and her eyes fell upon the blond. He stood leaning against the door frame, staring at her. A small smile played at his lips.

"I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to touch the piano, I just couldn't help myself, I just -"

"That was beautiful." he whispered hoarsely as that same unreadable expression flickered across his face once again. Enveloping her with his eyes before she abruptly turned away from him, blushing all the while. Her throat ran dry.

"It was nothing." she choked incoherently before reprimanding herself for acting so unbelievably stupid. It was just Austin for goodness sake! There was no need to be tongue tied around him. Quickly she pulled herself together and jumped off the piano stool. "I just need to get my tape measure so I can make some measurements." she muttered quietly as she moved towards the door. He caught her arm with his hand just as she moved past him, stopping her in her tracks. The feather light touch of his fingers against her skin sent chills dancing down her spine.

"It really was beautiful Ally. I've never heard anyone play like that before. Ever." he whispered quietly against her ear, his warm breath tickling her skin before he smiled softly to himself and let her go. Hurriedly she moved across the waxed floor and away from Austin. Hoping like hell that she wouldn't slip and land on her ass again as she could feel his gaze boring into the back of her head. Surprising herself she looked back at him just as she reached the base of the stairs. A small smile playing at his lips as he gazed at the brunette.

"She looked back at me." he muttered in awe before he broke out into a full blown smile as he watched her disappear up the steps.

* * *

Several moments later and Ally was pacing up and down her bedroom with a tape measure in her hand. What the hell was that? That fall really must have gone to my brain if I'm tongue tied around Austin she thought before sighing heavily.

"So are you going to tell me why your pacing the floor like that? Your making me dizzy." Trish said as she flicked through yet another magazine. Ally didn't answer, she just kept pacing. " You know, the maids have been talking about what happened earlier this morning. They saw Austin carrying you to your room after you got knocked out." she said but Ally was still deep in thought. " Tilly told me that he even went as far as to search for Christmas decorations because of you." she raised an eyebrow but Ally was still silent. "Dez even said that he heard Austin singing. Austin used to love singing but he stopped. He has started singing again. I bet it's because of you." she smiled, hoping that Ally had caught on to what she was suggesting but Ally had barely heard her.

"Trish, is there a point to these endless comments." she sighed. Trish opened her mouth to speak but Ally was already moving towards the door. "I have to do my work regardless of the fact that he is in there." she muttered.

"Who is there? Is this about Austin? The maids all think that he likes -" Trish stopped short when she realised that Ally had already slammed the door shut.

* * *

Ally made her way down the large staircase yet again. She was really sick and tired of these stupid endless steps! Stopping in her tracks as she reached the study door and saw Arabella Van Dort playing the piano. She played it sickeningly well and the scene that was unfolding before Ally made her stomach roll involuntarily. Austin stood watching Arabella with excitement as she played Debussy's Suite Bergamasque. Quietly she entered the room and began taking measurements of the windows. Elliot was sitting upon the sofa as he listened intently to his sister. Everyone clapped as the piece came to a close and Arabella began laughing happily.

"I've never heard you play that piece before, what is it?" Elliot asked.

"Suite Bergamasque by Debussy, written in 1888." she said cockily as Austin joined her at the piano stool.

"Don't you mean 1890?" Ally accidentally questioned out loud. She was almost positive that it was written in one look at Arabella's scowl she cursed herself for always saying what she was thinking. " I thought Debussy's Arabesque was written in 1888?" she mumbled, feeling the need to explain her sudden outburst.

"No, I'm absolutely sure that the Bergamasque was written in 1888?" Arabella said with contempt and anger at being questioned. " Who are you by the way?" she asked, her voice dripping in disdain.

"This is Ally Dawson, she is a friend of Cassidy's and the interior designer for the ball." Austin said.

"Ah yes, the girl who raced head first into a tree during the hunt this morning." Arabella said. Austin suppressed a laugh as Ally shot him an unamused glare." So tell me Ally, what makes you think the Bergamasque was written in 1890?"

"I just, well, it's my mistake I'm sorry I just thought -" she stuttered as a thin smile spread across Arabella's face at Ally's nervousness.

"Well why don't we check?" Elliot said as he moved towards one of the mahogany book shelves that stood tall against the wall. After several moments a smile spread across his face. Debussy's Bergamasque was written in 1890 and just like Ally said it was the Arabesque that was written in 1888. Sorry sis but it looks like this is a victory for the Americans." he laughed as Arabella's face contorted.

"Well shut up and stop going on about it Elliot." she snapped as Austin burst into hysterical laughter causing Ally to laugh quietly to herself.

"One victory for the Americans huh?" she smiled as she continued measuring.

"One victory for the Americans." Austin said quietly, shocking Ally who thought he hadn't heard her quiet musing.

* * *

Ally sat upon her bed groaning in frustration as Trish tugged at her unkempt hair with a brush.

"Is all this really necessary?" She whined.

"I want you to look nice for dinner that's all." she smiled thoughtfully to herself. The maids had done a good job of pressing Ally's dress, they had all made a great effort. Ally rolled her eyes dramatically as Trish started fussing about a piece of loose thread on her sleeve.

"I just don't understand why you have suddenly started caring so much about my appearance." she said. Two sharp knocks sounded at the door as Ally stood up and started fiddling with a necklace on her bedside.

"At least don't make me wear a corset or tight dress like you did last time. I mean I had such a big wedgie that it literally felt like my knickers were eating my-" Ally instantly stopped short as she realised that Trish had already opened the door. Please don't let it be Austin she silently begged.

"Look who came to escort you to dinner." Trish said with a pointed look. Austin stepped into the room with an amused smirk playing at his lips. Of course it had to be Austin and of course he had to hear about her giant wedgie.

"Hi." she squeaked in embarrassment. " Why are you escorting me to dinner today?"

"My father is out on a trip to the Armitage estate so my uncle is hosting dinner. He is more strict about being on time than my father is. I wanted to make sure that you would make it to dinner today without giving a waiter a concussion." he said as Ally flushed an even darker shade of red.

"Okay just give me a second." she smiled before fiddling with her necklace again. The clasp was stuck.

"Here let me." he said before lifting the delicate necklace out of Ally's hands. Slowly he pulled the mass of curls that flowed down her back to one side, gently brushing the nape of her neck with his fingers, leaving tiny goosebumps in his wake. She could feel his warm breath tickling her neck as waves of vanilla wafted over her, Austin's classic scent. Carefully he pulled the necklace around her neck before clasping it in place. " It's beautiful." he said softly as he let her hair slide back into place.

"Thank you." she breathed, realising that she had been holding her breath all that time. He took her hand in his as they moved out of the door. " Bye Trish." Ally called out as the Latina smiled in excitement, all the other maids would be hearing about this.

The duo reached the grand hall with three minutes to spare, Dez opened the large oak door for them and they stepped into the room.

"Master Moon of the Wentworth estate and Allyson Dawson from Miami." Dez announced as everyone rose from their seats. Arabella choked violently as she saw Ally by Austin's side, spitting her water back into her glass in a very un lady like manner. Ally rolled her eyes at the heiress before scanning the room for Cassidy who unfortunately was not there. " Where is Cassidy?" she whispered to Austin.

"She accompanied my father on the trip to visit the Armitage family." he smiled. " You can always come and sit by me."

"Yeah because that went soooo well last time." she laughed. Before she even had time to think Austin was already dragging her towards a space next to him and Arabella. It was 7:05 yet there were still two spaces that were free on Ally's right which meant that two people were late. Just as the thought crossed Ally's mind Dez spoke.

"Duke and duchess Van Dort of the Winthrop estate." he announced as they swept into the room and everyone rose again. It was surprising how similar duchess Van Dort was to her daughter Arabella, she was wearing her finest green dress adorned with emeralds and had that same calculating expression that her daughter always wore. Narrowing her eyes at Ally she scowled.

"I refuse to sit next to the girl with no title or estate. I do not understand why she is still here after last nights disastrous dinner. The girl ought to be banned." she spoke to Austin's uncle who sat at the head of the table.

"Allyson will move." he said before taking a sip of his water as if the matter were resolved.

"Why should I be made to move?" Ally questioned sharply as his eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever talked to him before in such a tone.

"Because I asked you to." he ordered.

"That is completely out of order and unfair. Why should I be judged by her just because I don't have an estate?" she questioned before looking towards Austin for support, he kept his head down.

"You will move and that is the end of that." he said as her blood boiled.

"Austin?" Ally questioned. Surely he would defend her. Wrong, one glance at his uncles scowl and he stayed silent.

"This is a little bit unreasonable don't you think?" Elliot said before giving Ally a small smile. A small thread of hope ran through her, at least someone was willing to stand up for her. If Cassidy were here she would have done it in a heart beat.

"Elliot, you ungrateful little -" duchess Van Dort gasped.

"Dez!" Austin's uncle called, cutting short the brewing war between mother and son. " Tell the maids to prepare a tray, Allyson will have dinner in her room tonight." he said at absolute breaking point as Dez nodded sadly.

"So your kicking me out now?" Ally yelled. " Austin?" she looked towards him again but all he did was shrink under his uncles glare before mouthing the words I'm sorry, she could feel the tears forming in her eyes as a sad thought crossed her mind. She didn't know Austin as well as she had thought.

"That is it! I don't want to hear anymore about this. Allyson you will have dinner in your room." he said as Dez escorted her out the door. She looked towards Austin one last time, capturing his gaze with disappointment evident in her eyes. Just as soon as their eyes met, his gaze darted guiltily away. He was ashamed.

"I'm so sorry Ally." Dez whispered just before he pulled the large oak doors shut with a slam. Sniffling was heard right behind Ally, slowly she turned her head to reveal Tilly with floods of tears running down her face and a tray with Ally's dinner in her hands.

"Tilly what's wrong?" Ally questioned as she rushed to the girl's side.

"I thought that, that everything was going so w -well." she sobbed.

"What do you mean?"

"Trish t-told us about y-you and Austin. W-we were all so happy and n-now it's gone wrong." she cried even harder.

"What are you talking about Tilly?"

"He was even singing again!" she cried. " He stopped singing when his mother and brother died!"

"Tilly I don't understand -"

"We thought that he liked you!" she said. " Your much better than Arabella. We thought he would fall for you because your pretty and smart."

"You thought he would fall for me even though I had no title?" she asked wondrously as Tilly nodded profusely.

"Yes, we had hoped that maybe the prince would finally fall for a pauper." she said sadly. "Everything is going so wrong."

"Tilly, I find it sweet that all the maids are rooting for me but Trish shouldn't have told you that something was happening between us because nothing is going on." she paused before squeezing Tilly's arm. " And I don't think their ever will be. Sure he was nice to me but that was just out of decency towards me. If he really cared about me, he would have stood up for me today. What happened today just confirmed what I have always thought before I came here. I will never ever fall for someone like Austin Moon." she said with such finality that she shocked herself. Taking a napkin that was placed upon the dinner tray she wiped away Tilly's tears.

"Ally, can we please talk." A deep voice said quietly behind her as Tilly squeaked.

"Evening master Moon." Tilly curtsied. Austin bowed dramatically making her laugh before taking the dinner tray up to Ally's room.

"Can we talk?" He asked once again.

"There is nothing for us to talk about." she said, wondering how long Austin had actually been standing there and whether he had heard what she had said.

"I'm sorry Ally"

"Your sorry! Do you know how embarrassed and angered I feel. You could have stood up for me in there and you didn't." she shook her head before turning to walk away. Quickly he caught her by the arm and spun her around.

"You don't understand, I can't disobey my uncle like that. There are certain expectations of me, I'm the heir to this place."

"I don't understand? I think I understand perfectly well and I stand by what I said before. I hate people like you." she spat.

"You don't even know me! Not properly Ally!"

"Your right, I don't know you because the person I thought I knew would have supported me. You said you don't look down on people like me yet you didn't defend me and watched as I got humiliated. Told to move because I'm not rich enough? If you don't look down on people like me, then why didn't you say something!"

"I couldn't! Do you know what would have happened to me if I had said something?"

"No and I don't care to know. All I think about now is how sorry I feel for you because you live by everyone else's rules and do what everyone else tells you to do. You have to do this and you can't do that. I'd take being poor any day and keep my freedom than end up being a rich slave with no control whatsoever!" she said. The tears pricking her eyes.

"You don't know what your saying! You don't understand! Why won't you just listen to me?" he pleaded, desperately trying gain some control within the argument.

"I actually thought that maybe you weren't so prejudice. You know what hurts the most? The fact that Elliot had the guts to stick up for me. To defy his own mother and you didn't say a word."

"You can be mad at me all you want and you can hate me. I'm truly sorry Ally, I care about you I really do. Whatever happens just please, please stay away from Elliot." A seriousness overtook him that Ally had never seen before.

"Why should I? He has been the only one to pull through for me." she said sadly as the tears spilled over, warm and fresh they ran down her rosy cheeks. Austin flinched slightly as he saw the miniature drops, knowing that he had caused them to fall.

"He is a bad person Ally. He may seem nice now but he will change. Trust me, I've seen it happen before."

"Why should I trust you?" she spat, now angry at the fact that she was crying over him she swiped away the tears roughly. He ran a hand desperately through his hair.

"If you don't trust me then at least trust Cassidy. Cassidy knows the truth." he said solemnly before shaking his head as if to rid himself of the bad memories. " Please." he said softly as Ally caught a glimpse of Arabella coming out of the grand hall.

"I think I ought to go to my room." she said quietly as irritation washed over Austin at the fact they had been interrupted. He gave her one last nod before she moved up the first few steps of the stairs, she knew he wanted to say something more but the words had died on his lips.

"Night Alls." he said softly, those two words instantly causing her to grip the banister tightly in an attempt to steady herself. The words echoed around her head. Slowly she turned around as if to say something more but Arabella was already wrapped in Austin's arms. Laughing heartily as he placed a small kiss on her cheek.

"Night Austin." Ally whispered softly to herself before disappearing quietly up the stairs.

**So that's chapter two done! I hope you all enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you thought, is Ally over reacting? Should Austin have stood up for her? What do yo think is going on with the maids? What do you think Austin meant when he was talking about Elliot? What do you think he did? Any views and opinions on Arabella and her parents?**

**Thank you for all the reviews from last chapter.**

**Shout outs next week xxx**


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